Oregon put on probation, loses scholarship

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2011 file photo, Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly leads the team onto the field for an NCAA college football game against Missouri State in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Chip Kelly. The NCAA's Division I Infractions Committee released a report on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, that found Kelly and the university failed to monitor the progr
— AP

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2011 file photo, Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly leads the team onto the field for an NCAA college football game against Missouri State in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Chip Kelly. The NCAA's Division I Infractions Committee released a report on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, that found Kelly and the university failed to monitor the progr
/ AP

Oregon will lose one scholarship each of the next three seasons and was placed on probation for three years for recruiting violations under former coach Chip Kelly, but avoided a bowl ban under NCAA sanctions issued on Wednesday.

The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions found that Kelly and the university failed to monitor the program for its involvement with Willie Lyles and his Houston-based recruiting service.

The committee decided against hitting Oregon with a bowl ban or other major penalties, handing down sanctions that mostly fell in line with those proposed earlier by the university.

"I've not met an institution that wants to go through the infractions and enforcement process," infractions committee member Gregory Sankey said. "This was a multi-year effort that certainly existed and there are penalties that impacted the program. The committee made its decisions based on information given to it, not on other speculation and evaluations."

Oregon lost one scholarship for the 2012-13 academic year and will lose another in 2013-14 under self-imposed sanctions. It also will have its total number of scholarships reduced by one from a maximum of 85 each of the next three seasons, also self-imposed.

The NCAA cut Oregon's official paid visits from 56 to 37 for the next three academic years, reduced its evaluation days for each of the next three seasons and banned the program from using recruiting services during the probation period. Oregon must also disassociate itself from Lyles' recruiting service.

It also placed an 18-month show-cause order for Kelly, requiring schools to go before the infractions committee should they wish to hire him. It may be a moot point, though, since Kelly left Oregon this year to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Former assistant director of operations Josh Gibson was given a one-year show-cause order. The NCAA said Gibson was aware of Lyles' involvement in recruiting and commonly told him to tell recruits to contact football coaches.

"Now that the NCAA has concluded their investigation and penalized the University of Oregon and its football program, I want to apologize to the University of Oregon, all of its current and former players and their fans," Kelly said in a statement. "I accept my share of responsibility for the actions that led to the penalties. As I have I stated before, the NCAA investigation and subsequent ruling had no impact on my decision to leave Oregon for Philadelphia. I have also maintained throughout that I had every intention to cooperate with the NCAA's investigation, which I did."

The NCAA has been looking into Oregon's recruiting practices since questions arose over a 2010 payment of $25,000 to Lyles and his recruiting service, Complete Scouting Services. Lyles had a connection with Lache Seastrunk, a star prep running back from Texas who committed to Oregon in 2010, a month before the payment.

When Oregon later released the recruiting package it said Lyles had prepared for the school, the material was largely outdated. While use of services to identify potential recruits is allowed under NCAA rules, questions were raised about Lyles' relationship with Seastrunk and other athletes from Texas, and whether he steered any prospects to the Ducks, which would be a violation.